Memory Lane
by MikuLover
Summary: What do you do when the only person who can stop your tears is the reason you're crying? Layton/Claire AU


**Author's Note: Why does this pairing fascinate me? I hate Claire (sorry all Claire fans), but somehow I can stand her when she's paired with Layton. She's just...so...annoying! I can't stand her! AU, just because I don't know if Clark was around when Claire was murdered. **

**But this...angst is good.**

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"Why don't you eat something, Hershel? I can't eat all this takeout by myself!" Clark Triton, my best friend, touches my shoulder gently, albeit a bit awkwardly.

"I'm not hungry." I say, sighing and closing my eyes.

"Don't say that; you've been saying that for days now." but I'm not hungry. It's the truth. I'm not hungry after the accident, after the murder. "At least just eat something, it doesn't even need to be Chinese food!"

"No, that's okay. I think I'd rather just go for a walk." my head is starting to hurt again, and the only way I'm able to clear it is to walk, no matter how much it hurts. My whole body's been aching lately.

"Are you sure?" Clark asks, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I don;t answer; of course I'm not sure. What can I possibly be sure about anymore? I had been sure Claire and I would get married in a few weeks and live happily ever after.

I walk out of my apartment and down the stairs, walking down the sidewalk, my head pounding. Disturbing images of the crime scene flash through my mind- Claire's body, burned and mangled, her eyes wide and unseeing. The building where Claire had been and the building next to it, broken and smoking. The young boy who had stood at my side, sobbing for his parents who had been inside the adjacent apartment and hadn't been able to get out in time.

I can't walk by it- if I do, I'll surely have a breakdown like I did last time. Memories I had been told to forget push hard against their mental barriers. I walk faster and faster, until I'm almost running. What am I running from? Who am I running from?

No matter what, I can't escape my memories or my thoughts. My mind is in ruins, everything is blurring. Suddenly I want to close my eyes and sleep.

Clark had been right, I shouldn't have gone for a walk. I should've just stayed where I was safe, Clark had dealt with me like this before. He had been the one who had found me on the kitchen floor after I had tried to commit suicide. He had been the one who had gotten me help and tried to take the place of Claire.

She flashes in my mind, Claire. Over and over and over and over. Numerous times we had been together, when we had met, when we had kissed, when we had gotten engaged, when we had last parted. I remember walking her to work and kissing her goodbye. Little had I known that it would be the last time we embraced.

"Excuse me, are you alright sir? You look as if you're about to be sick." a woman with mousy brown hair tied in a ponytail looks me in the eyes, concern wrinkling her forehead. Her eyes are dark and penetrating.

"Y-yes, thank you." I snap out of it and stumble to my feet. She grabs my shoulders as I sway suddenly, and she supports me.

"Are you sure? You don't look alright to me." she says, looking at me suspiciously. I smile (or at least attempt to) and begin to head towards my apartment building again.

"I'm sure. There are just...a few memories that have been bothering me lately. I'll be fine once I get home." She smiles at me and squeezes my hand. She knows what memories, somehow. Maybe because we're only a few meters away from the scene of the accident.

I wave again to her, and she waves back, funny little yellow dress flapping in the wind behind her. What a peculiar woman. Still, she was considerate enough to ask me if I was alright. If she hadn't stopped...well, I don't want to think about that.

"There you are!" Clark is waiting outside for me, an alarmed expression on his face. He runs down the stairs and flings his arms around me, something he rarely ever does. I'm shocked, utterly bewildered. "What happened? Why were you so late?"

"Don't worry. I told you I was just going for a walk." I smile for the first time in ages and Clark's whole face lights up. Yes, a walk. A walk down memory lane.

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**Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked it. I had some fun writing this, but I got really distracted while I was in the middle of it. **

**So please review and subscribe to me for more stories/updates! Any guesses as to who the strange woman was? **

**MikuLover~**


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